Wednesday, 5 April 2017

The Intensely Private World of Janet Jackson: Why She Traded Fame for a Quiet Family Life

Janet Jackson has performed her greatest trick yet.
The
last time the pop star was fully present in the spotlight, she was
gearing up to go on tour. It was June, 2015, and the concerts she had
teased earlier that spring were just made official.
It was to be called the Unbreakable World Tour, and it touted a much-anticipated new album, the first since 2008's Discipline. The
fans were ready and waiting—in fact, they were more than ready. One of
pop music's most prolific artists, Jackson had been cranking out hits
for decades, but had been noticeably pulling back as of late. It's her
right, of course, but it just made the prospect of Unbreakable, and the 36 stadium shows, that much more exciting.
Then,
cut to less than a year later, and the concert was postponed to an
as-yet-undecided date. In other realms of Hollywood, this could be the
start of a tragic story—but instead, it seems that Janet has finally
received the happy ending she's deserved. The world tour waiting game
may seem tragic to fans, but Jackson has much bigger and better things
going on right now.

It all started, as the best stories do, as a love story.
After a few ill-fated marriages in the past, Janet met Qatari businessman Wissam Al Mana
at a hotel opening in 2010. Their courtship was the stuff of legends,
as they went jet setting from Dubai to Sardinia and everywhere in
between. They announced their engagement in 2012 and slowly started
flying more and more under the radar as Jackson traded public celebrity
for quiet private life.
Of course, that didn't stop them from gushing about each other whenever possible—like when Al Mana told Harper's Bazaar Arabia "I'm fortunate enough to be dating my dream woman" with Jackson adding, "We have a deep bond, a deep connection."
Then,
the next thing anyone knew, the couple had secretly wed in a private
ceremony. Rumors started flying in early 2013 that Jackson and Al Mana
were planning a lavish Qatari wedding, complete with all-expenses paid
trips to Doha for guests and $10,000 Rolexes as party favors. Never one
to let a falsehood keep spreading, Janet decided to break her relative
silence on their relationship and just spill the beans.

The
singer, surprisingly, revealed that the two had tied the knot in
complete secrecy, even deciding to donate to children's charities as
their wedding gifts to each other. (Cue the collective aww.) All of this makes the motivation behind the postponement of the Unbreakable World Tour even sweeter: Janet and Wissam were expecting their first child. (Cue even more awws.)
The
decision to place a hold on her career in order to focus on having her
first child at long last set in motion the plans that led to her cozy,
insular life today. Once it was decided that performances wouldn't be
happening—it's easy to guess it was on doctor's orders, as Jackson was
pregnant at the age of 50—she went straight into nesting mode. According
to E!'s sources, Janet and her husband began enjoying a low-key life
split between Dubai and Qatar, citing far greater privacy than they
could ever expect to get in the States.
"They pretty much keep to
themselves," the source said last April. "They are very happy. Janet
goes out here and there for events at times but mainly keeps a low
profile."

She
was also thrilled to be finally starting a family of her own, after
watching her siblings have children for years; she felt it was finally
her year and her time. In other words, it was her turn for complete
happiness.
Then, on January 3, 2017, Jackson gave birth to her very first child. The bundle of joy was a baby boy named Eissa Al Mana,
and Janet's rep told E! News at the time that he arrived during a
"stress-free, healthy delivery," which came as a relief after a
pregnancy that was anything but easy. The star relied heavily on her
doctors during the pregnancy, and was surrounded by a host of family,
friends and well-wishers during the baby's early days.
By all
accounts, it was a blissful time. Sources reported to E! that throughout
all of the sleepless nights and everything else that comes with raising
a newborn, Jackson felt extremely blessed and was "so excited" to be a
mom. She has spent most of Eissa's early days and weeks holed up at
their London home—the family decided to finally put down solid roots in
England. The new family entertained visitors, like sister Rebbie Jackson and mother Katherine Jackson, but stayed completely out of the limelight.

XPOSURE/AKM-GSI

In
fact, the singer has barely been spotted at all during the three months
since Eissa was born, save for a few family-related errands. Her new
routine includes working her way back to an exercise regimen and
stocking up on baby necessities at chic local shops, like Blue Almonds,
which sells luxury children's clothing and accessories.
When
Jackson does step out, she looks every part the relaxed mother. Gone is
her former penchant for all things leather, gone are the over-the-top
jewels we came to know (and love) her for. Instead, she opts for pure
comfort: scarves and sweatpants, and not a stitch of makeup to be found.
It's not the Janet Jackson we're used to, but all signs point to this
as the totally new normal.
In fact, according to our sources,
this quiet life seems to suit her far better than her days of, say,
flashing the Super Bowl audience alongside Justin Timberlake.
"She is a really zen person," a source close to the singer said of her
current state. "She is in her element. She loves being a mom and this is
what she has been waiting her whole life for."
Things are also
great for the rest of the Jackson-Al Mana family—Eissa is always smiling
(especially when Mommy Janet sings to him) and her relationship with
Wissam is doing "really well."

But,
no famous family can be completely without controversy. For the
Jacksons, their current turmoil centers around mother Katherine and the
current elder abuse lawsuit that has been levied against nephew Trent Jackson.
The trial proceedings are ongoing in Los Angeles, but Katherine has
been spending as much time in London as possible—in part to escape the
drama on the west coast, but also to visit with Janet and her new
grandson.
So what's next for one of the biggest pop stars of our
time? That's only for Janet to say. We wouldn't be surprised if she
relishes in this period for as long as possible. The Unbreakable
World Tour still looms, but at this time there have been no decisions
made or updates given on the status of rescheduling. Live Nation did not
return E! News' requests for information, but exactly one year ago the
released a statement saying "The Janet Jackson Unbreakable Tour in North
America will be postponed until 2017. New dates will be announced at a
later time, and tickets will be honored for the rescheduled dates."

In
the meantime, Janet will keep at the Mom game, and her fans will have
to settle for watching old concert videos on YouTube. Yet somehow, it's
hard to believe that anybody is mad about that.